This chocolate peppermint kisses cookies have a holiday flair with the peppermint kiss and sprinkles and they’re super easy to make!
Though my secret ingredient Peanut Butter Blossoms are a classic holiday cookie in our household, they’re also a year-round treat for us. The classic combination of peanut butter and chocolate make them something that we can enjoy all the time. But peppermint kisses are a seasonal item, only popping up at the store during the holiday season. And when I see them, I can’t help but grab a bag! And that means I make these chocolate peppermint kisses cookies!
Like the peanut butter blossoms, these cookies have a chocolate kiss in the center of them, but with a festive red and white striped peppermint white kiss instead of the original chocolate! And since the kisses are peppermint flavored and the combination of mint and chocolate is a classic one (which I adore as evident by my peppermint striped cookie, mint chocolate chip cookie, white chocolate peppermint cookies with sea salt, and peppermint Texas sheet cake) I added a touch of peppermint extract in the chocolate cookie dough, as well as a roll in red and green sprinkles before you bake them, make these holiday cookies even more joyful to make and serve.
How to make these cookies
Though they look like they might be complicated to make, these holiday cookies are actually easy to make. Make a basic peppermint chocolate cookie dough by creaming together butter, sugar, white sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and a touch of instant espresso (which helps boost the chocolate flavor). Cream until the sugary butter mixture clings to the side of the bowl.
Add the eggs, one at a time, then the flour and cocoa. Shape into balls of dough, then roll in holiday sprinkles.
Bake and once done, immediately press a peppermint kiss in the middle of the still warm cookie. The heat from the cookie will melt the bottom of the kiss slightly, adhering it to the cookie. Let cool completely before storing or serving.
What sort of cocoa to use
This cookie dough uses Dutch-processed cocoa, which is an alkalized cocoa with a darker color and more mellow chocolate flavor. Hershey’s special dark cocoa is a very commonly available Dutch-processed cocoa but there are others available at well stocked grocery stores like Guittard’s Cocoa Rouge (in the red canister) or Ghirardelli’s Dutch-process cocoa (the purple bag).
I used Dutch-process cocoa not only for the more mellow flavor, which works well with the peppermint, but also for the dark rich color. But if all you have is natural cocoa, you can swap the same amount of cocoa for the Dutch-process. However, you should also omit the baking powder and use 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda instead. Natural cocoa is acidic and will react with the baking soda to leaven the cookie. Expect the resulting cookie to look slightly lighter in color and taste different than those made with Dutch-process cocoa. But it will still be fun and tasty!
How to store
These cookies store well, though the kisses on top do make it a little more challenging to store in layers. I recommend storing them in a single layer, in an air tight container for 3 to 4 days at room temperature. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months, but again, I would recommend freezing them in a single layer in a container, otherwise the fragile tips of the peppermint kisses might snap off. They’ll still taste great, but won’t look quite as nice.
Other holiday cookies
Chocolate Peppermint Kisses Cookies
These joyful and festive peppermint chocolate cookies have a red and white striped peppermint white chocolate kiss in the middle of each cookie. I roll the dough in a green and red sprinkles to give them an even more festive holiday look but you can skip this step if you wish. Unwrap the peppermint kisses while the cookies are baking, maximizing your time and ensuring they are ready the cookies come out of the oven. The kisses need to be added to the still warm cookies otherwise they won’t adhere to them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 115 g
- 1 cup white sugar 200 g
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar 110 g
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder or instant coffee optional but recommended
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 350 g
- 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa 60 g (see note above)
- Holiday sprinkles optional
To finish
- 36 peppermint kisses unwrapped
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.Place the butter, white sugar, dark brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, and instant espresso/coffee (if using) in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the ingredients together until all the ingredients are well blended and uniform, with the mixture clinging to the side of the bowl. Stop the mixing once or twice in the process to scrape down the sides and bottom to make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated
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Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
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Add the flour and cocoa to the bowl and slowly mix together, until the dry ingredients are absorbed.
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Scoop out rounded tablespoons of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. If you have a scale, it should be about 30 grams per cookie dough ball. Roll the dough in the holiday sprinkles if using.Place on the prepare baking sheet and gently press down with the palm of your hand or with the bottom of a flat glass on all the balls so they flatten slightly. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to look dry. Do not overbake.
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Remove from the oven, and immediately press a peppermint kiss in the middle of each cookie. The heat from the cookie will melt the bottom a bit, adhering the kiss to the cookie. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before moving to a wire rack.Repeat with the process with the remaining dough.
Nutrition
Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.7g | Protein: 2.2g | Fat: 5.2g | Saturated Fat: 3.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 574mg | Potassium: 650mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8.5g | Calcium: 262mg | Iron: 1mg
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